An American Tourist in Paris

12.22.99: ...After Notre Dame we went went shopping in a lot of the gift shops. One in which I was *forced* to get a hat because I was "special." I was like, "No. I'm not going to go around looking like a tourist." Everyone, including the salesman, insisted that I wouldn't. Marc said that he and Justin looked like tourists, but that Ashley, Crystal and I didn't. Especially not Ashley and I because we had dark hair--"like the French girls."

Ashley tried on the one they wanted me to get, and without thinking I turned around and said, "It doesn't look like *that* on *me*, does it??" That totally came out wrong. Ashley was like, "Well, thanks!" I didn't mean it looked bad. It *looked like a tourist hat!* But everyone kept saying we didn't look like tourists, and Marc pulled the big brother guilt-trip he likes to pull and told me that "everyone was doing it" and I should do it, too. (Pretty much he was saying not to be a stick-in-the-mud.) Finally I said, "No. I don't have the money to buy it." So *somebody* bought it and told me I *had* to wear it.

So all five of us walked around Paris looking like tourists all day.

2.13.2006: For some reason I don't have this part written in my journal, but I totally should because it was *so* funny. It was total vindication for me...

A few hours after the hat shop incident, we stopped for lunch in one of the sidewalk cafes. The waiter came up to us and my brother said, "Parlez vous Anglais?"
The waiter answered, "Oui. Et vous?"
To which Marc replied, "No."
::giggles:: Oooh. It still makes me laugh. Marc realized his mistake right away, but it was still embarrassing for him. :D

After we had been in the cafe for a little bit, I think when the waiter returned to get our lunch orders, he said, "Are you American?" (We were mistaken for English a couple of times.) Marc said yes. The waiter then said, "Ah, oui." Then he pointed to our heads. "The hats," he said.

Since I have no memory of having said it then, let me say it now....

I told y'all so! We. looked. like. TOURISTS.

What was really funny was Marc's response. Quick and witty, he just said, "That's right. Cowboy." ::rolls eyes:: Yeah. Right. Cowboy hats with fur and felt. And bought three streets down.

I took the hat off as soon as the waiter walked away. Then the guys tried to get me to eat snails.

It didn't happen.